Tomás Ó Flatharta

The magazine Vanity Fair has published a sensational article “When Irish Eyes are Crying” –

http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2011/03/michael-lewis-ireland-201103?currentPage=1

It caught the attention of the Guardian Correspondent Lisa O’Carroll who observes :

“Any Irish reader who wants to save being offended can skip the last quarter of the article which leaves an impression that the Ireland is a land of fairies, potato farmers and rural unsophisticates.

But the article is well worth reading. It packages the drama of the last two years and particularly last November brilliantly.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/ireland-business-blog-with-lisa-ocarroll/2011/feb/02/ireland-merrill-lynch-research-note-irish-banks?INTCMP=SRCH

Cutting to the chase – the Irish big banks rapidly blackmailed Merrill Lynch into keeping quiet about their insolvency six months before Finance Minister Brian Lenihan introduced a state  guarantee of deposits.

There was some discussion of this on the Joe Duffy RTÉ  Radio 1 Liveline programme on Friday February 4 – which in passing mentioned Brian Lenihan dismissing O’Carroll’s report on the Pat Kenny morning show which goes out on the same station.  Objective reader of these reports should recall the famous reply associated with Mandy Rice-Davies “Well he would say that, wouldn’t he?”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandy_Rice-Davies

Meanwhile the Irish media concentrates on the latest opinion poll and Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny’s refusal to take part in a debate hosted by TV3’s brilliant broadcaster Vincent Browne – important information without doubt – but surely they are missing a major part of the big picture?